Cowboys Break: Who Benefits the Most?

edition of The Break. We are Life Net WBC more Studios at the Star, and we are presented by a miller like the only beer of the Dallas Cowboys. It's Tuesday. We got a couple of big, quick picture questions we're

gonna talk about today. Brian has a little game for us that I just heard about here, I guess at some point maybe in the second or third segment, and and we'll try to get you guys ready and kind of give you a good recap of that Philly game and what it means kind of going forward as they entered these next two weeks against opponents that you think Cowboys have a good chance of being able to beat. Let's start first with the topic. I think that everybody cares most about is where is Dak and is he

going to be back this week? Nick, you were there with me, we were at the game Sunday watching Dak and him during his pregame workout. What do you think you looked like? What what was your impression as you watched him get that workout before the game. I mean, honestly, the biggest thing for me was the snaps that he was taking him under center. I mean that I thought was big. Just the ball. It's gonna slam into your thumb every time, you know, and you got to get

up there and you throw it. And then the throws after that were good. I mean they were good throws. They were twenty yard, twenty five yard throws. I know Chris, our producer, was there getting some good video of it, and you know, he was there and it looked good, and it definitely looked good. Seven days away from playing again, so he's not playing. He wouldn't planning that night. As long as there's no setbacks, you know, you would think

it would keep healing the right way. Do you think the Cowboy fans were bummed that he didn't try and give it a go against Philly. I mean after the third interception, I mean probably, but I mean, yeah, I know, I don't know about your timeline, but my timeline was, Okay, he's out there throwing the ball around. He's taken snaps. That's the thing I noticed first, Nick, A good eye on your part, you know, the ball slamming into his hand, and you're going, okay, that part of it looks good, right,

you know. I mean there were people there, you know, and I was answering like whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, there's a plan here, there's a plan. There was a ramp up, there was all this stuff, and there were people like, question, if he's like, he's healthy enough here, why does he

not playing this game? I appreciate them not putting him in uniform if he's not going to start, because we've been down that road before, and I guarantee after that first interception, it would have been like, well that you're ready and everyone's looking and it's not happening, and it's never gonna happen, and you're never gonna I wouldn't have

I'm glad they didn't do that. You know. I think I think sometimes fans and maybe even media to some degree, they fall into this fallacy of thinking that players are like maddened pieces. Right. Sure, once they're once a player is healthy and I'm putting up air quotes, once they're healthy, they're immediately ready to go. And we've seen sometimes this year with Michael Gallup, we saw it where a guy may be cleared bedically, but there still is a point

of Okay, is he really ready to play football? And I think that's the part that I'm more concerned about is, Yeah, Dak made the thumb, may be fine. They may clear him with the thumb. The issue still becomes have they ramped up his shoulder and is throwing all the mechanics that are part of throwing. Have they ramped those up enough to where he can go out and play a game where he may throw the ball thirty to forty times.

Didn't practice without hurting himself, and he didn't practice like if practice didn't matter, That's what Jason Garret would always say. We were for practice. If it didn't matter, they wouldn't do it. So he didn't practice all week and didn't practice with the guys um with with you know, with against the Eagles and with this receiving corps and all that. So I mean, yeah, you we're seeing if he can throw. See if you can throw it looks pretty good, throw

it out there on the field. But now work him up. Yeah, what's funny. It's like, you know, we all we're all on social media game day during the week and all that. Well, every game day and even after the game, you see at least everything that I see our fans saying, we don't need Dak, keep back off, cut the guy, we don't need him, blah blah. And then all of a sudden, now we see the game, him throwing in, Cooper Rush throwing in receptions and all that. Now everything on my

timeline is Dac needs to come back. We need Dak get that back in there. Okay, thanks Cooper Rush. So it's just funny how quickly things change in depending on the outcome of the game and how he's playing. But I think that right now everything indicates that he will be playing this weekend. I don't see any other reason that he would not be. So walk me through what does he need to do this week? What do you think he needs to do this week? Is it just get through a week of practice. If you can do

that and then you're ready to go. Yeah. I mean that sounds simple enough. I mean, like get ready. You know, that's that's what the plan is all along, is get

a week full of throwing. He's he threw some. I think it was a Wednesday and Thursday, probably some Friday, and then you know, here he is Sunday, and now start to get ready to practice and mentally get ready for the game, get ready for the Lions defense and what they've got going on, and who's gonna play where and when Farniat comes in, you know, as an eligible blocker, where does he go in line up? I mean, it's

all part of it. As opposed. It's not just a guy going out there Kenny throw to James Washington and Dennis Houston. Yeah, that looked good. Now, ramp it up, ramp it up. And I think a big thing to that is I guess he had in being clear medically. Just yeah, and that's something I know Mike McCarthy talked about it yesterday. I would assume that happens maybe today where he's just fully clear and given the green light where he can now take all the snaps with the

first team and all that. So I think that's a big difference. If he wasn't clear before, how is he gonna go out there and go and be full go? So he should be good Now. He's still wearing that thing right the because I saw him he was throwing. Yeah, I saw him at the game. He was wearing his something around the thumb. So I wonder if he's gonna take that off this week or if he's going to be practicing and maybe even playing with flex seal. You

know you're seeing those commercials flex seal so he doesn't leak. Yeah, gorilla gorilla tape, whatever you want to put on there. Yeah, you know, I couldn't tell if it But what I couldn't tell. I couldn't tell if it was a pat, if it was padding, or if it was like a support support. It's more support, is what it really really is. It's and so yeah, I you know, he was throwing with it on, so it might be something that he's

comfortable doing. I think you make a great point, though, Derek, about the Okay, it's not so much about the thumb, how about the back, how about the core, how about the shoulder, how about the lower body? Everything that takes to throw a ball. You know, the last thing you need is Dak Prescott out there playing and then all of a sudden, it's like his core strength's not very good right now? His back, Why does he look like

he's you know, kind of flinching and doing stuff. You know, that's the last thing you need is something else, you know, to cause I mean, you know he might be yeah, throw the ball, but there's so much other things that go into throwing the stride, you know, how you rotate all these things, and if you're not ready to go, then don't throw it. And that's happened, and we saw it. He was coming back from the ankle injury all year, coming back, getting ready for camp, getting ready for camp,

and then he gets the camp ankle's good. He tries to make some hail Mary throw because he's not really used to throwing all the time, and then he hurts his his shoulder whatever that was, you know, so like and so all that goes into play here, and he hasn't been able to throw obviously because of the thumb. So I think he will. I mean, he looked good, and he looked good throwing the ball that that looked

really good. And but you also wondered too, is you know they patted him on the back afterwards like good job, and that was it. The Lions are probably gonna see, well, you know what, if he's gonna run with the ball, I'm just gonna I'm going for the ball and the thumb whatever, I'm gonna hit all of that. Because if your head coach is gonna bite your own knee, bite your kneecap, if that, if he's gonna help you up and bite your kneecap and punch you in the throat,

he's gonna punch you. And he's gonna punch you in the thumb. No, Dan Campbell made it clear that how physical they're gonna play, and and so I would imagine if a guy's got a bump thumb, they're gonna test it. They'll bite it, bite it, kick it whatever. Let's say he does play this weekend, are we and you know this is something we've talked about it here on here

about the mental aspect of things. So you guys feel that that's just gonna be a whole setback mentally because we've seen him before when he comes back in just kind of not being fully comfortable and confident and just you see, I'm not calling him that he's afraid, but you see the hesitation sometimes and trying to help me with a good word. I'm not saying he's scared, cautiousioussioussa's yeah, that's a good word. Is that different than who he

usually is? Because I see dak as the kind of quarterback that it's one of the reasons why he has never been a turnover machine is because I do think he's very thoughtful, sometimes a little bit too much when it comes to I don't know the whole, whole whole. You know, he's waiting because he wants to make sure what he's seeing is what he's really seeing. So I don't know if that's really different when he comes back from an injury than just being who he is. I know,

I've seen it. I've seem like a difference because you can be cautious but confident and and comfortable as opposed to being cautious but a little hesitating. I don't know what that guy was that played against Tampa. Yeah, I didn't know that guy. I was expecting. I was expecting that all these things that had been happening to him, the shoulder, the ankle, the calf. I kind of feel like, Okay, just he's put all that behind him. Go be two

thousand and sixteen, two seventeen, Go be Dak. That was through week eight of last season, you know, go be that guy. And I I think there's something to that. Amber. I think there's you know, maybe the organization in a way also says, dude, if you don't have to run, don't run, don't put yourself in harm's way. Do you know where to me? And I've said this a bunch

to me. Dak Prescott, when he feels the game, when he feels the hits, when he feels the physicality and gets blood and mud and things on him, I think he's a better player. Yeah. I think he because because he's he used to be a guy that had body armor. You know, he was a big guy. You know, he bang into people and stuff. And now he's like, he loses weight, he looks good, the best shape of his life. I'm thinking, no, no, I need the other guy that

was kind of a tank that was fortunately leave that guy. Yeah, I go that's the guy that was kind of banging into people and and stiff arm and guys at the sidelines with his throwing hand, you know. I mean, just that's the guy I was thinking. Because he's not going to be an elite quarterback when it comes to touch and accuracy and all those things. What makes him different than the other guys is his toughness. And you take that toughness away from him, or his ability to play

with a little recklessness. I think it makes him a different quarterback. And I don't know if it's necessarily a good thing with him. Yeah, the guy that won the playoff game in twenty eighteen against Seattle. You know, it was third down and dive in or twelve, and you know the field goal makes it a six point game, but a touchdown would put it away. And he just barrels through a third and fourteenm flips over the top

and gets to the one that you need. That I missed that guy because because and you don't see every quarterback doing that. But I mean, let's let's call it what it is. I mean, Dak isn't the best passer in the league. We know that. That's not what if he was, he wouldn't have been drafted in the fourth round.

That's not his game. But his game is all the intangibles that he was talking about the tank, that kind of that kind of player all into one is like a winner, and that's I think that they missed that right now. So not the guy that took that option against Tampa and got a first down and then was just looking to fall any any more than that from from this team with this offense. Yeah, and I agree with all that stuff. I just don't know if I think it's a confidence issue. I think he's a very

confident player. I don't think sometimes going back to the Tampa game, I just think sometimes he doesn't play well. He didn't play well. That to me was not about confidence. He just didn't playboy, Yeah, exactly, and that happens like he just didn't play well. And confidence with this left tackle that's never played left tackle. Now maybe and now

you see him maybe. I thought what Jerry said on the radio this morning one or five three fan, I mean, talked about Dak being ready, looks good and all that. But I thought what he said about this is a better football team than it was in Week one. This was a This is a team that's learned how to play. They had to, they learned how to play differently. They've the defense has come together in a way we didn't expect. The offensive line is now better, a little bit more cohesive.

I think he had there's more trust than a Noah Brown. Guys like that. You know that the receiving corps can help can win. The way that Zeke's running the ball pretty well, I think that there's just the kickers making kicks that's not fifty nine yards and you know off grass. I think that there's just more confidence about this football team. And so my question now becomes what changes when Dak is back or should it change? Like we've seen how

this offense is morphed. Has it morphed because it needed to or is it morphed because it is the better way to play football based upon what they have and what they've created now as a football Real quick, before we get into that, let me let me reward what I was trying to point out, because I don't like using the word confidence because he's a very confident guy. And I don't like using the word like being scared, because I don't think he like he's a competitor and

he will go out there and compete. What concerns me is, now here's another injury that has sidelined and sidelined him, Yeah, on the bench basically, so he's watching. So it's just like how many injuries have we gone through now? And I'm not saying he's injury prone or anything, it's just

it's bad luck. Part of the game. It happens. But the fact of how many instances now he has to be he's had to watch the game from the side, And you know what that causes in you when you are a competitor, an athlete, anyone who likes to compete. If you're seeing your team, whether it's winning or struggling,

you want to be out there. So it's just that mentality of like, Okay, what kind of hesitation does that create now in you wanting to protect yourself and not allow yourself to get injured again to where now you're back out of the field and the game. So it's just like that mental aspect, can he be full go, can he run? Can he get out of the pocket? Use his feed? The ability one of those things that you just mentioned Brian, his aggressiveness, toughness, and just being

himself one hundred percent. So it's it's it's a tough thing because it's not just physical now it's the mental side of things. So it would be really interesting to see how he really returns, because I know he's eager. He's been kind of saying it to the media every time he walks by. You know, he's eager to go out there and be full go. So anyways, going back to your question, Sorry, no, I think that's fair, and I agree with your point that I don't know that

it's that. I agree that I don't think it's a confidence matter from his standpoint of just like his confidence in himself. But I can agree where I do think there are whether it's pressure from internal whether there are coaches and front office people who are like, Dak, we need you so kind of chill on all that or something, you know, those kind of things, or even as you said, Nick, maybe confidence in the people around him, like, am I sure this guy's gonna get this block? Am I sure

this receiver is gonna get open? And what I'm seeing is what I'm actually seeing, Like there can be some of those kind of confidence issues. I agree with that. How about the confidence he's not going to get hurt again? You know that confidence on his part of confidence that his part, you know, his part, I mean you talk about confidence, maybe the lack of like, man if I run this ball, I might get hurt. Maybe I don't need to run this ball. You know that. I think

there's something to that. He's had something. He went from never getting hurt to like, I mean, no, three injuries. Yeah, I mean to the point where you now do segments you talk about is the injury prone? You do? You have? You have segments and people say, well, is he unlucky? Is the injury prone? Yes? No, all this and stuff like that. But I your your confidence thing. I think it's right. I mean, it's not confident I'm going to

go out there and play. Well. The confidence is if I go out there and play the way I want to play, am I gonna get her? You know? I think that's the thing that I think that you know, he has to and and and Nick's right that that option run was okay, I could, I had a lane, I took it, I got five yards and I went down quickly, you know. I mean there's there's time to be smart and then there's times to be like go for it. And I don't know, I think the go

for it guy was a better player. That's just me, all right, we're gonna take our first record to come back. We're gonna get some questions from Brian's got a quick little game for us, What day when we come right back? Dallas Cowboys dot com Radio. Todd thought it would be secure to jog and the cheetah Savanna. Todd believe the big cat repellent he bought online was reliable, and now Todd is trying to be faster than this cheetah that

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at AT and T Stadium. Join your Cowboys from November fourth through November sixth for some of the best barbecue in the country. Get your tickets today geek dot com the official ticketing provider of ATENC Stadium. So, Brian, I kind of miss when you used to when you used to work here full time. You'd like bring us like different dishes. You'd make up some gumbo and that stuff. Um So I'm kind of wondering, like, is at some point is that gonna be something we do on the break?

Like I know you're not here full time, but that could be you know, tell me we'll get that done for just challenged them. And now like in a week, he's gonna come in with all that, he's gonna have an apron on and he's gonna have something cooking over here, and we're gonna be right here on it. Like I'm not running to the training table today. I'm eating whatever Brian's making. Tell you what, let me know when it's Mediterranean Day here and I'll cook something up for you guys.

How about you and me and Nick on Mediterranean Day? We usually are going to do something. How was the strip basket yesterday or two days ago or last week? Oh? The one we got up Strea? No, no, no, didn't you go? Yeah? We got to the place here, ye keeping stuff? All right? There you go, stuff right out here at the stars, good stuff. There we go. All right, let's jump in. Brian, you got a game for us which I do? Oh wait, wait, real quick second segment

brought to you by blockchain dot Com. Okay, Brian, there we go. I was gonna wait for that day. It's about to remind you. Thank you. Here we go. A g oh boy who benefits most from DAK returning m who benefits could be a coach player who benefits the most, fans, who benefits the most? Well, um playing his wife. She didn't have to. She's short term because next year, I'm sure she wants some more games. Increase that paycheck for next year. I don't think he's gonna be making the

south of a million dollars next year. Okay, go ahead, Sorry, who could who benefits the most? Who benefits the most? Ag Uh? Well, I said Dalton shoals if it's back. I don't know his injury status right now? Sound like Jerry does he eat there? Jerry's like, I don't know, I don't know what's going on. I was a little surprised.

It just seems that as soon as I mean, he just completely disappeared with Cooper Rush and you got other guys going in, I mean Jake Ferguson and all that, he just I think Dalton and he's in the franchise tag big here for him, So what was going on? Yeah? But as far as like guys who because we don't know his status. Really, as far as guys for this weekend, I would like to think in between Michael Gallup and City Lamb, I think their game just kind of takes

the next level, a next step. I mean, they just they just start playing better together. When Dak was in there the first game, even though it wasn't a good outcome, Cide Lamb was still struggling and we didn't see that come to fruition. Him being the number one receiver. So I think that now with the addition of Michael Gallup and you got them three together now with Dak, I think their game just kind of goes up, or at least that's what I hope that they as a receiver

corps just get better with Dak back in the mix. Derek, I actually think of Ceedee Lamb, and the reason why is because Ceede Lamb right now, this organization is trying to figure out if Ceede Lamb is truly a number one receiver in another two years a year and a half, They're gonna have to make a decision on do you pay him Davante Adams kind of money like, or are you paying him money closer to Cedric Wilson like what

is he? And I think if he's going to show that he can be a number one receiver, a true number one receiver and demand that kind of muny money, then I think that means that he's gonna need his quarterback, and I think that's why Dak was very important to him right now. My answer would be this is a kind of contingent on him being the guy that he

was and running the ball. But I think it could be Zeke specifically on the play like the RPOs that we've seen where if your quarterback, if your quarterback is not going to run and z Cooper Rush does not run, then then I think it just kind of jams up the middle and he didn't. Zeke did a nice running, but I think if you have a little bit more threat to run, I think that would help the running backs,

particularly ze Catherine. An honorable mention sure, Kellen Moore. I think Kellen Moore wants to get back and throwing the ball a little bit more, and I think this allows him to do it. Maybe, So I hope that's I hope they all hope the fans been a fit too. That'd be nice. Okay, Uh, Derek, I'll go with you on this one, right, Who's been better? Tyler Smith or Daret's Armstrong. Hmm, that's a good one. They both have

some warts. Still, Um, I would probably have to say Tyler Smith just because I think when Tyler Smith is bad you notice it more obviously because you see those poor play. Yeah, and that's the thing, Like the team may have. He may have one or two really bad plays in the game, but I think Duran's probably has more of those bad plays, you just don't notice them as readily. So if I had to say one or the other, I would go with Tyler Smith. I think he has been really, really good for a rookie. Nick,

that's a good one. And it's and you only do that because you probably like caught yourself, like you it's probably like, Okay, who are these you know? Like these two are tough? These are questions I get watching that to all twenty two. Yeah, and it's and it's good because, like you said, there's times when when when Tyler doesn't do well, you kind of see it, you don't see it, and he doesn't. He doesn't have the stats that like

Armstrong has. But five sacks, a blocked punt, and a blocked field goal, I want to, I want to, honestly, I'm gonna go upstairs. I'm gonna have the PR department find that when the last time someone's had five sacks, a blocked punt, and a block field goal in the same year. He might be number one. He might be and we're not even halfway through the year, not even close. Yeah, I think he's been from a stat standpoint, I know he's not the best on them against the run. But

I'm gonna go with Dorrance on that. Just you know, Nate Newton just texting me and see it Armstrong. So he agrees with you, Well there's a first you know what. I'm gonna call that a moral victory that he agrees with me, Well I disagree. There we go, There we go. No, I think for sure, if to me would be and

I love everything that Dorian's have been doing. But when you take into the consideration the guys who are next to him, the guys are on the side of the defense, playing with him, the opportunities that that creates for him, not to take any credit away from him, but also adding that he's a veteran. Now how many times I forget what year he's on currently fourth, fourth year in

the league. But then now you look at okay Tyler Smith, the fact that he's a rookie, the fact that usually he's going one on one on situations like that, the fact that he's limited his mistakes. Yes, there are times, but to see how well because I didn't think he was gonna be playing the way that he is playing

that quickly. We saw the potential, but I didn't think he would be as good as he's been and also considering what happened during training at like you didn't know what position he's gonna be add specifically, So taking all that into account, I think that he deserves a lot

more credit for that aspect that he's a rookie. He's been doing a very very good job, and the penalties have not really been a full issue, like okn Like you know, it's not like we're sitting here week after week talking about holding penalties, and that was an area of concern that people were questioning and wondering why if that was gonna be a negative aspect of things for him when he started the season, Nick, fifth year for Duran's arm drawing by the way, fifth, yea is he

and he's and he had seven and a half sacks his first four seasons and now he has five this year. So he's up next year, not this year, Yeah, this year and then one more you got it? Okay, Dan Quinn and ad on that one coaching him up. Nick, Even if opponents don't run RPOs on offense, do they try something? After watching the Eagles hold Parsons in check, I think that I think what they're gonna try to do is see figure out the ways to get him

in coverage. I thought that that was was key. I mean, he was, he was uncoverage a lot, and he's just not the same. I mean, he's good, he's good at doing it. He's he's an athletic freak. But he doesn't hurt you as much as he does. He doesn't dominate the game when you're taking out a tight end unless it's a Kelsey or a Kittle or something that is the main part of what they do, which I don't even know if he would be able to do that. So, um,

I think they're gonna try to find mismatches. I think what it'll do is it's going to force dan Quinn's hand to say, you know what, we gotta get him as rushing. We just gotta get him a defensive end most of the time, or rushing up the middle or whatever. But yeah, there was something there to get him out in coverage. And then and he gets frustrated. And when he's frustrated, I don't know what who it hurts the most.

I don't know if it hurts him or if it hurts the tackle he's going up against on the next play. Because he pissed off Mike is pretty good, but he does kind of get in his own head a little bit. Yeah. Look, I think I think the issue here or that the interesting part for the Cowboys is they do have an issue when it comes to stopping the run. And I do think that if you're watching it, you say, Wow, what the Eagles are doing with the RPOs. That's something

we can really kind of consider. I think the problem is most teams don't have the personnel to be able to just do that right. The quarterback makes a huge difference. Isn't going to be scaring you as much like if if he opts if he opts to keep the ball. Now, here's where it could it get interesting. Do the Giants

start using that when they play the Cowboys? Because they do have a quarterback that's fairly mobile and they have a running back that's dangerous, And so when you start thinking about it from that perspective, there are certain teams that maybe they wouldn't be great at it, but they may use it a little bit to kind of in critical moments maybe get I don't know if be like their quarterback is that, but are you scared about anybody else?

I would be like, don't let fields get off. Yeah, who else is gonna get a gummery He's gonna run it up the middle or whatever. I'm a little less concerned about him taking it. Yeah, they don't have because your quarterback in Phillies, I think the quarterback running almost scared and more than miles centers. Yeah, which has been miles and centers is benefiting all year because of its exactly. But I don't think that golf is scares you more than than or Jones. Doesn't. Daniel Jones is scary more

than Saquon Barkley. No, But Daniel Jones, if you don't pay attention to him, can can break you on a couple of So I do think there are a couple of teams that can do it. Most teams they play won't have that ability. I think that. I mean, just as much as offenses are going to be looking at the Eagles tape and seeing how they were able to kind of neutralize Mica Parsons and play and attacking that way, I think that our guys are gonna be looking at that film quite a lot and trying to figure out

how to improve and get better in that aspect. So, yes, I can see how offenses start kind of trying to imitate some of the things that the Eagles were able to do against the Cowboys. But at the same time, I think that this is this is a week that the Cowboys kind of get better at that and improve, and we haven't seen them kind of that has been the area that they have not been good even since

last year, the running defense, stopping the run. But seeing Mike and putting that film up there, I know that he's gonna be pissed off seeing that in front of his teammates and kind of altogether, not even not just Dan Quinn, but everybody in that room just trying to figure out a way to really clean things up and improve in that aspect that time. One more ag How winnable is the NFC this year? The conference? How winnable

is the conference? I think there are some um Man, I wish you guys spoke Spanish because I have a word I want to use and I can't think of the English word. But you know, when you're in the desert and just kind of like you start seeing things are not there. Yes, yes, I think there are some teams that are like that, and I think that, um the Cowboys can very much take the lead and and win out. I think the Cowboys, even though on the offensive side of the ball, obviously you're you're getting Dak

Prescott back. I think I hope it's going to improve in a lot of ways. But I think that once they do that, the defense is going to be it's gonna keep playing better and better every week. I do believe so. But with the help of the offense putting in pulling their weight as well, I think that the Cowboys can definitely take the lead. And it's not it's not anything that's too far fetched for me. Yeah, I mean, I think I think the Cowboys have a chance that

they're gonna have to try to catch the Eagles. It's gonna be a tough because the way they're playing right now and their schedules not not that great either, neither's the Cowboys. I feel like the Cowboys will probably be the fifth seed in the playoffs and go to some team that they'll have a better record than, though they'll be well, we'll be talking about competition committee, like should this be the rule? You should you have a higher a better record and still have to play a road

game or whatever. But you know, I feel like that's what's gonna happen this year. I think there's good news and bad news. The good news is, right now, the Cowboys are four and two and they're third in their in their division. They're still the fourth best team in the NFC right now. Like you look at it, there's only one team outside of the NFC East that's in the top four. That's Minnesota at five and one, got the Eagles, the Giants at five and one, Dallas at

four and two. Nobody else has four wins other than those four teams, right and so that's the good news. The bad news and I don't even know if you call it bad news, but what you do know about the NFL is we're only at week six right there are some teams right now that are down in at three and three range that will be at the top or near the top of this conference by the time we get to in the season. You look at a team like forty nine ers, they are typically they get

hot as the season goes. I think the Rams, as a season goes, they're gonna get hotter. Buccaneers, as a season goes, they're gonna get hotter. I don't think the Packers are necessarily in that boat, but it wouldn't surprise me if they figure it out and they get hot. Like, there are teams that are gonna show up as the season keeps going, because that's what happens in the NFL.

So yes, right now, you look at this, the NFC East is basically running through this conference and they are gonna be a force to reckon with in the playoffs. But I also think there are gonna be some other teams that are gonna pop out here that are gonna get really good as the season goes, and they're gonna be able to challenge for everybody in the NFC. Thanks, guys, appreciate you. All right'm gonna take our final break. We'll come back. Let's get one final question before we go

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for details to join today. Welcome back, final segment of the Break Life in SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Start, presented by Miller Like the Only Beer of the Dallas Cowboys I have one final question for you guys. We're going to go around the table before we end today's show. It's a very simple question. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic following Sunday's game? Optimistic? I think this is I mean, the team they beat themselves in a game, you know,

where they had a chance to win. They rallied them themselves back in it. I think, you know, the Eagles, you know, give it the Eagles credit for taking it to them and win in the game. But I mean, I don't think anyone's gonna be worried about playing them again. And you know, you maybe go play him again in the playoffs and go up there and play it again. I don't think that, you know, you should be discouraged by it. You look at the schedule, it's coming up,

You're gonna get better at certain positions. I mean, I mean to be sitting if you look at the big picture, to sit it four and two, where they are and what they've been through and what's coming up next, I think that it's they're gonna be in good shape. Just look at the schedule. Just look at the schedule and find find three more losses. I mean, it'll happen probably, But I'm just saying twelve and five looks pretty good again because it's tough to come up with three legitimate

losses on this schedule. Yeah, it's interesting the teams you thought would be tough games like Indianapolis may not be as tough as you thought that Green Bay, yeah, I mean, not be as tough as you thought. Me. I'd like to see. I'm gonna see it first before they actually go. Bay beat Obi Wan Kenobi up there in Lambeau. But I mean, I think they can do it. I'm definitely optimistic of what the season holes. That attack is gonna

come back. No, I think that. I mean seeing the way that they played, and again, the offense has not been producing points for you and scoring points and all that, so that's definitely a problem. But seeing the way that they were able to handle things without your starting quarterback was impressive. So in the and I think the defense, Yeah, it was a bad week last week, but they still held up and they were still able to come back

in that second half and still compete. So I think that there's a lot of things to be optimistic about at this point of the season, especially with the things that are just finally to start piecing together. As far as the offense, we haven't seen that yet other than that little bit of taste at the beginning of the year. But you can just based the rest of the season on just a first loss, you know, against Tampa. So I'm optimistic. I don't know how you cannot be optimistic.

You beat the two Super Bowl teams with backup quarterbacks, Yet with your backup quarterback you found a way to be four and one with your backup quarterback. You went to Philadelphia and they had been killing people with their their quarterback and they're tied end. Neither one of them were really a factor in that football game. You know, you didn't tackle well enough in the game. You didn't really do enough offensively there. They held you check throwing

the ball in your receivers. That's something that should be a concern. But the fact that you're able to like survive what you did the last five weeks and to live and tell about it, how could you not be optimistic? This thing could be O in six and we're all talking about when the draft show is going to start or you know, what are you gonna do? What are you gonna do with the trade deadline, Who are you gonna get rid of contracts? So they're gonna fire the

coach all these things? Nah, you got to be optimistic what's going on right now. And also, you know, we don't always go back and remember different decisions that are made. But I think you got to give uh, Jerry, will McClay Mike McCarthy credit for looking at what's out there and going, well, why is Cooper Rush going to be

your back up? And because their mind was if if something happened to Dak, he can win games, and whether or not anyone believed that or not here, um they did and and and then then they had to they had you had to come you know, out and really see who could you know if that could happen? And

it did. So I mean we don't always think back to those decisions like that, but they you know, they decided he was better than Will Greer and both of them were better than anyone that was available and out there, and you know, it's it's proved to be a really good decision. So you know, we don't always go back and remember that. They should get credit for that. Yeah, I think to me, I think it's you guys need

to hit the nail on the head. I don't think there's any way you really can't be optimistic about what you've seen so far. The one thing I do think I know here is that there is one, in my opinion, clearing weakness of this defense, and I think when Dad comes back, it will negate that to some degree, which

is their run defense. I think if you can score more points, you will put pressure on teams where they can't just say, hey, we're just gonna go with these short passing games, a quick passing game and run the ball. You can put them in situations where they really are going to have to get more aggressive offensively, which plays right into your hands. And I think that's something that was kind of starting to concern me as time went on, is that I think teams were realizing they can't really

have a choice. You can't play the kind of game you want to play where you want to take a little time and make those strolls down field against this defense. Here's something that you know when you look at the division, Giant Eagles, Washington. Washington's kind of out of it right now. But you know, if you rank the six games that you have to play in the division, how tough they are. I think the Cowboys have already played the two toughest

at Philly at the Giants. The next one would probably be Philly at home, and then Giants at home, and then at Washington and then Washington at home. The Eagles and Giants can't say that, you know, they can't say that they've faced the toughest part of their division just yet. They haven't gone to Dallas yet, they haven't even played each other yet. So I mean, I just think when you look at it two and one in the division, you've played your toughest games. Like Brian said, you played

the Rams on the road, you played the Bengals. Those teams are probably going to get up in there that they have played the toughest part of their schedule, I think already, and now they get a chance. I mean, look at Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, the Texans, the Giants at home at Jacksonville. They should really have a good chance

for eleve and twelve wins. Yeah, you just worry about late in the season at Jacksonville game games before Philadelphia, and so you don't want to you don't need to let down in that that could be yea all of a sudden, you're thinking, Okay, hey, you got a big key divisional matchup coming up Christmas Eve, and then you go to Jacksonville the week before and poop in the bed.

Drew Bledsoe was the quarterback the last time the Cowboys played there, and I think there was going to be a fan or a million that are going to be at the game for the Cowboys. I guarantee you the Cowboys will have more fans than that game in Jacksonville. And I mean, now Jacksonville is playing better, but I mean it'll not be like a true road game. One other thing to note about the Giants and the Eagles, they don't even play each other until December. Really, both

their games are in December. They play on December eleventh when we play the Texans, and then they play at the end of the season, the final game of the season. So that's interesting. That's interesting that they won't even match up until you get to the end of the season. One of them obviously has to take a loss in those two games, and so that's that's going to also shake things up in fcas because a lot of those teams, like you said, have always we like to tie in

this league. All right, appreciate you guys join us, Welcome back. Tomorrow, we'll get into Cowboys versus Lions, Lions, Cowboys versus Lions. We're gonna talk about the Lions offense versus Dallas defense. Till then for Nick even Brian brought us Amber Garcia. I am Derek Eagleton. This has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.